Improvement in metallic roofings



3 Sheets--Sheet1.

s. TAYLOR. Metallic Roofing. No.154,297. Patented Aug.l8,l8 74.

3 Sheets--Sheet 2.

S. TAYLOR.

, Metallic Roofing.

N0.154,297 Patented Aug.18,1874.

aam zm UNIT D STATES PATENT rrrcn sAMUEL TAYLOR, or BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

lmPROv EMENT IN METALLIC ROOFINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,297, dated August 18, 1874; application filed July 25, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL TAYLOR, of Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, England, zinc and galvanized-iron worker, have invented certain Improvements in Constructing and Fixing Sheet-Metal Roofing, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in constructing and fixing sheet-metal roofing, my said invention being specially applicable to zinc roofing, but may also be applied to galvanized-iron and other sheet-metal roofing. In constructing sheet-metal roofing according to my invention I make in the roofing-plate two or more parallel hollow ribs or projections, open at the bottom, the said ribs or projections being at the same distances apart as the rafters to which the roofing is to be applied. The heads or closed tops of the said hollow ribs or projections are angular or nearly lozenge shape in cross-section. Upon the top of each of the rafters of the roof Ifix, by means of nails or screws, a dovetail or angular metal seat, the saidseat having in cross-section a nearly triangular figure. This seat is made by taking a strip of sheet metal and bending its sides at an acute angle to the bottom or base. A baseplate, which is fastened to the rafter, is thus made, provided with inclined sides, constituting a dovetail or inclined seat, the inclined sides of, the seat having a shape and size proper for the upper sides of the angular head of the hollow ribs or projections of the roofing-plate to engage with.

In fixing the roofing-plates, made as described, to the roof, the angular-shaped heads of the hollow ribs or projections on the said plates are engaged by a sliding motion with the fixed dovetail or inclined seats on the rafters, the said seats being completely covered and protected by the heads of the said ribs or projections. The said roofing-plates are prevented from rising vertically by the engagement of the angular-shaped heads with the fixedseats on the rafters, and from sliding off the said seats by means of a flange on the end or edge of each plate being screwed or otherwise fastened to the rafter. The flange described at one end or edge of each roofing-plate is covered by the head of the rib or projection of the next roofing-plate.

Wherethe roofing-plates, made as described, cannot be engaged with the fixed seats on the rafters by a sliding motion, I engage the roofing-plates with the seats before fixing the seats to the rafters, and after the engaged plates and seats have been put in their places I fasten the seats to the rafters in any convenient manner.

Having explained the nature of my invention, I will proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the manner in which the same'is to be performed.

Figure 1 represents in perspective aportion of the roof of a railway-station or other similar roof, the sheet -metal roofing-plates of which are constructed and fixed according to my invention. Fig. 2 represents an edge view of one of the roofingplates detached. Fig. 3 is a cross-section, and Fig. 4 a plan of one of the rafters of the roof, to which a dovetail seat made according to my invention is applied; and Fig. 5 represents the same with a portion of a roofing-plate connected therewith. Fig. 6 is a modification of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents in cross-section my invention applied to the ridge of the roof; and Figs. 8 and 9 are a modification of my invention, where they roofing-plates cannot be applied to the rafters by a sliding motion.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

a a. are the rafters, and b b are the dovetail or angular metal seats, fixed .to the said rafters in the positions best seen in Fig. 1. The said seats b b are fixed to the rafters by the screws a washer, (1, being placed at the bottom of the central trough of the seat, into which the heads of the screws are'embedded, as represented in the sections. The said seats I) are made by taking a strip or plate of metal of the required length and breadth and bending its sides inward upon the middle part of the said strip, so as to give the said strip the sectional figure represented.

The bending or fashioning of the sheet metal seats I) is effected preferably in rolls, but the said seats may be otherwise made.

The roofing-plates e, to be fixed to the said seats I) b, have two or more parallel hollow ribs or projections, f f, made in them by a rolling or pressing process, the said hollow ribs or projections being at the same distances apart as the rafters a a, as represented.

The said hollow ribs ff are open at the bottom, and the heads or closed tops of the said ribs are angular or nearly lozenge shape in cross-section, as seen in Figs. -1, 2, and 5. The angular heads of the ribs or projections f f are of a shape proper to fit closely upon the inclined portions of the seats I) b, fixed on the said rafters. One edge or side of each roofing-plate e terminates in a flange, 0 and the opposite edge or side in a hollow rib or projection, f. (See Fig. 2.)

Instead of making the head of the hollow ribs or projections f f in the roofing-plates e angular, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, the said heads of the hollow ribs may be curved at the top, as represented in Fig. 6, the seats I) to receive the said curved heads having a corresponding figure; but I do not limit myself to the figure of the closed tops of the heads of the hollow ribs or projections ff- The roofing-plates made as described are fixed to the roof in the following manner: The seats '11 b having been fastened at the required places on the rafters a, the heads of the hollows ribs or projections f fin the roofingplate are engaged by a sliding motion with the fixed seats b I) on the rafters, the said seats b I) being completely covered and protected by the heads of the said ribs or projections, as best seen in the cross-sections, Figs. 5 and 6. The flange e at one edge of each roofing-plate e liesflat upon the rafter, and is covered by the head of the rib or projection f at the edge of the next roofing-plate. (See Figs. 1, 5, and 6.)

By an examination of the drawing it will be seen that the roofing-plates e 0 thus constructed and fixed to the rafters a are prevented from rising vertically by the engaging of the heads of the hollow ribs ff with the sides of the seats I) b, and from sliding off the said seats by means of the seats b of the next plate being fastened over the flange e on the plate last fixed. (See Fig. 1.) The flanges e of the roofing-plates may, however, be fastened to the rafters independently of the seats b b.

In covering the ridge 9 of the roof according to my invention,.I fix on the top faceof the said ridge dovetail or angular seats I), of the kind hereinbefore described, and I form the ridge-plate h with an angular head, (or curved head,) which is engaged by a sliding motion with the seats b on the said ridge, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

The sides of the ridge-plate h are prolonged downward and cover the turned-up ends of the roofingplates, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 7.

Where, from obstruction on the roof, the

' roof-plates made according to my invention cannot be engaged with the seats on the rafters by a sliding motion, I adopt the arrangement represented in perspective in Fig. 8,

and longitudinal section in Fig. 9that is to say, I provide the washer or fixing-piece t of the seat 11 with a slot, 6 in one end, and prolong the otherend, t downward, and I fix at the required places on the rafters a screws k, with the stems of which the slots 7? in the washers or fixing-pieces i may be engaged by sliding the said washers. I engage the roofing-plates e with the seats 1) before fixing the seats to the rafters, and after placing the combined roofing-plates and seats on the rafters I slide the washers or fixing-piecest' in the troughs of the said slides until the slots 1' in the ends of the said washers 0r fixing-pieces engage with the stems of the fixed screws 70. The prolonged ends i of the washers or fixing-pieces are next fixed to the rafters by screws. By this means the washers or fixingpieces t and the seats I) are securely connected to the rafters, and the roof-plates engaged with the said seats are also secured to the said rafters.

The position of the washer or fixing-piece, when it is fixed in the trough of the seat, is shown in Fig. 8, and the combined roof-plate and seat fastened to the rafter by the washer or fixing-piece t is represented in section (drawn to a larger scale) in Fig. 9; or, instead of combining the seats with the roof-plate before placing them on the rafters, the roof-plate alone may be placed on the rafters, and the seats, with their washers or fixing-pieces, be afterward engaged by a sliding-motion with the heads of the hollow ribs f, so as thereby to engage the slots 6 of the washers or fixingpieces with the screws 70.

By constructing and attaching sheet-metal roofing according to my invention, the parts used for connecting the plates to the rafters and other parts expand and contract equally, and the screws used for fixing the metal seats are concealed and protected from the weather by the connecting parts of the roofing and other plates.

Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my invention; but

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The roofing-plates formed with parallel ribs or projections, open at the bottom and having enlarged heads, in combination with angular or dovetailed seats attached to the rafters and engaging the heads of the hollow ribs or projections of the roofing-plates, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the ridge plate It and angular seats 12, as shown and described.

SAMUEL TAYLOR. [L. s.] Witnesses:

GEORGE SHAW, RICHARD SKERRETT,

Of 37 Temple Street, Birmingham. 

